ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Ministry of Jal Shakti
Second National Water Awards to be conferred on 11th and 12th November to commend efforts of those working in the field of water resources conservation and management
Ministry of Jal Shakti, Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenationis organising the 2ndNational Water Awards  2019 Distribution Ceremony on 11th& 12th November, 2020  through virtual platform.The awards are given to motivate the individuals/organizations who are doing commendable work in the field of water resources conservation and management. Also, it strives to create awareness among the people about importance of water and motivate them to adopt the best water usage practices. The award winners in different categories will be given a citation, trophy and cash prize.
The NWAs focuses on the good work and efforts made by individual and organisations across the country, and the government’s vision for the path to a ‘JalSamridh Bharat’. The event provides a good opportunity to start-ups as well as leading organisations to engage and deliberate with senior policymakers on how to further accelerate the ‘Jal Shakti Abhiyan’ in India. The event also provides an occasion for all people and organisations to further cement a strong partnership and people engagement in water resources conservation and management activities.
The National Water Awards 2019 is awarding the participants 98 number of awards in 16 different categories - Best State, Best District, Best Village Panchayat, Best Urban Local Body, Best Research/ Innovation/ New Technology, Best Education/ Mass Awareness effort, Best TV show, Best Newspaper, Best School, Best Institution/ RWA/ Religious Organisation, Best Industry, Best Water Regulatory Authority, Best Water Warrior, Best NGO, Best Water User Association, and Best Industry for CSR Activity. some of the categories has sub-categories in different zones of the country.
On the first day, i.e. 11th November 2020, Shri M. VenkaiahNaidu, Vice President of India will be the Chief Guest, and inaugurate the awards distribution ceremony. Minister for Jal Shakti, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Minister of State for Jal Shakti, Shri Rattan Lal Kataria,and other dignitaries will also be present on the occasion.
On the second day, i.e. 12th November 2020, Shri Prakash Javadekar, Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Changewill be the Chief Guest. Minister for Jal Shakti, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Minister of State for Jal Shakti, Shri Rattan Lal Kataria, and other dignitaries will also be present.
National Water Awardees, delegates and the audience will be joining LIVE through virtual platform. The complete event and award distribution is planned on the virtual platform. The event is being organised in Hall No.5 at VigyanBhawan. The award will also be telecast live on the Facebook page @mowrrdgr.
Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution
Bureau of Indian Standards, Mumbai Branch Office-II, hosts Manak Manthan event for IS 18283:2023 Portable Field Testing Kits; garners valuable feedback from stakeholders for standards improvement
Mumbai : 26 September 2023
Mumbai Branch Office –II of Bureau of Indian Standard  organized a Manak Manthan i.e. discussion on the newly published Standard IS 18283:2023 Portable Field Testing Kit for Onsite Testing of Drinking Water in hybrid mode at MTNL CETTM Building, 5th Floor, Technology Street, Hiranandani Gardens, Powai, Mumbai - 400076, Mumbai. BIS invited all the related stakeholders for participation and sharing of valuable feedback on the above Indian Standard. The event was attended by 23 Participants across a section of stakeholders; including PDW Manufacturers, testing laboratories and end users.
The Programme was inaugurated by Sh. Sanjay Vij, Senior Director, BIS, Mumbai Branch Office-II. In his address he emphasized the need of Manak Manthan and requested all participants to give their inputs for further improvement of Indian Standard. In the opening remarks, Ms. Rakshita Phatak, Graduate Engineer, BIS, Mumbai Branch Office –II & Sh.T. Arjun, Deputy Director BIS, Mumbai Branch Office-II informed the audience about various BIS activities and about the newly published Standard IS 18283:2023.
Sh. T. Arjun, Deputy Director, BIS presented details on Standards and invited participants to give their inputs clause wise. He explained the technical specifications of 18283:2023 in detail to the participants. All the participants participated actively in the Manak Manthan. The inputs given by the participants will be shared with the Technical Department for incorporating suitably in the Indian Standard.

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Ministry of Panchayati Raj
Funds to Gram Panchayat Schemes
Under its scheme of Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan , the Ministry of Panchayati Raj releases funds to States/UTs for strengthening the Panchyati Raj Institutions . The funds are utilised by undertaking the activities sanctioned / permitted under their approved annual action plans. The progress of implementation of the schemes, including utilisation of funds, is closely monitored through meetings, video-conferences with the concerned States/UTs. For further release of funds to the States/UTs, the status of utilization of funds released earlier is also taken into account. In addition to this, an online monitoring and reporting system  for RGSA has been developed and operationalised. Moreover, transaction based Public Financial Management System  has been introduced for release and tracking of funds under RGSA. Similarly, the utilisation certificates is insisted upon and obtained for the funds released under the scheme of Incentivisation of Panchyats before release of further funds as financial incentives to the good performing Panchyats selected under National Panchayat Award competition held annually. No complaints on misutilisation of funds under the two above schemes have been received in the Ministry.
This information was given by Union Minister of State for Panchayati Raj Shri Kapil Moreshwar Patil in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.
President's Secretariat
President of India condoles the passing away of Dr.Akhilesh Das
The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee has condoled the passing away of veteran Parliamentarian, educationist and philanthropist, Dr.Akhilesh Das.
(In a message to his wife, Smt. Alka Das, the President has said, “I am sad to learn about the passing away of your husband, Dr.Akhilesh Das, a friend and colleague for long years.
A veteran Parliamentarian, educationist and philanthropist, Dr. Das served the nation in various capacities including as Union Minister of State in the Ministry of Steel. As Mayor of Lucknow, Dr. Das contributed extensively in the development of the city and acquired the reputation of being an able administrator. In his passing away, the nation has lost a well known public figure, whose services shall be remembered for long.
Please accept my heartfelt condolences. I pray to the Almighty to give you and all members of your family the strength to bear this irreparable loss”.
Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports
India’s top nutritionists and fitness experts set to help citizens chalk their New Year fitness plan with Fit India’s new talk show
Key Highlights:
· The programme starts from 8th January until 26th February, 2023 on the official Instagram and YouTube handles of Fit India, every Sunday at 11am
· The first series of 8 talks have been titled Fit India Healthy Hindustan
Fit India Movement, a flagship program of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports is set to launch a special online series titled, ‘Fit India-Sunday Talks,' to mark the New Year. The program, an online talk show by eminent fitness experts and Fit India icons starts from 8th January until 26th February, 2023 on the official Instagram and YouTube handles of Fit India, every Sunday at 11am. The first series of 8 talks have been titled Fit India Healthy Hindustan.
In keeping with the vision of Prime Minister Shri. Narendra Modi to create a fit nation, the Fit India Sunday Talks aims to promote the importance of fitness, healthy eating and mental wellness among all age groups, especially senior citizens.
The Fit India Healthy Hindustan panelists include Luke Coutinho , Ryan Fernando, Heena Bhimani  and Sangram Singh . Speaking about the initiative, Sangram Singh said, "The Fit India Healthy Hindustan Program is a commendable initiative of the government and everyone should join this campaign and take benefit from it. According to me, the richest and most complete person in life is the one whose body is healthy. Through these talks, I will share some basic natural methods which people can easily adopt to stay fit at all ages."
The importance of staying fit is greater for senior citizens so that they can fight age-related disease. Speaking about this Heena Bhimani says, “Ageing is natural and cannot be prevented. But yes, with the right health strategies one can live a long, healthy and a happy life. Fit India healthy Hindustan aims to give tips to senior citizens so that they live a healthy life with dignity. Small lifestyle changes can have a big impact.”
Nutritionist Ryan Fernando, who will be speaking on the importance of having the right amount of sleep to stay fit in his session, besides other aspects of overall wellbeing, adds, "With the Fit India Movement, citizens now have access to various health-related resources and guidance, which has enabled them to make informed decisions about their health. The Fit India Healthy Hindustan series is an attempt to further empower citizens with the right advice.
There will also be a segment where the experts will be speaking on the importance of millets to celebrate 2023 as the International Year of Millets.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
Update on COVID-19 Vaccine Availability in States/UTs
More than 194.18 Crore vaccine doses provided to States/UTs
More than 7.83 Crore balance and unutilized vaccine doses still available with States/UTs
The Union Government is committed to accelerating the pace and expanding the scope of COVID-19 vaccination throughout the country. The nationwide COVID 19 vaccination started on 16th January 2021. The new phase of universalization of COVID-19 vaccination commenced from 21st June 2021. The vaccination drive has been ramped up through availability of more vaccines, advance visibility of vaccine availability to States and UTs for enabling better planning by them, and streamlining the vaccine supply chain.
As part of the nationwide vaccination drive, Government of India has been supporting the States and UTs by providing them COVID Vaccines free of cost. In the new phase of the universalization of the COVID19 vaccination drive, the Union Government will procure and supply  75% of the vaccines being produced by the vaccine manufacturers in the country to States and UTs.
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VACCINE DOSES
|
|

|
|
SUPPLIED
|
|
1,94,18,24,325
|
|
BALANCE AVAILABLE
|
|
7,83,66,780
More than 194.18 crore  vaccine doses have been provided to States/UTs so far through Govt. of India  and through direct state procurement category.
More than7.83Cr  balance and unutilized COVID Vaccine doses are still available with the States/UTs to be administered.
Ministry of Agriculture &
Farmers Welfare
MSP Operations during Kharif Marketing Season 2020-21
In the ongoing Kharif Marketing Season  2020-21, Government continues to procure Kharif 2020-21 crops at its MSP from farmers as per its existing MSP Schemes.
Paddy procurement for Kharif 2020-21 is continuing smoothly in the procuring States & UTs of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu, Chandigarh, Jammu & Kashmir, Kerala,Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh with purchase of over 284.18 LMTs of paddy upto 16.11.2020 against the last year corresponding purchase of 239.69 LMT showing an increase of 18.56 % over last year. Out of the total purchase of 284.18 LMT, Punjab alone has contributed 198.38 LMT which is 69.81 % of total procurement.
About 24.39 Lac farmers have already been benefitted from the ongoing KMS procurement Operations with MSP value of Rs. 53653.81 crore.
Further, based on the proposal from the States, approval was accorded for procurement of 45.10 LMT of Pulse and Oilseeds of Kharif Marketing Season 2020 for the States of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana, Gujarat, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh under Price Support Scheme . Further, sanction for procurement of 1.23 LMT of Copra  for the States of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala was also given. For other States/UTs approval will also be accorded on receipt of proposals for procurement of Pulses, Oilseeds and Copra under PSS so that procurement of FAQ grade of these crops can be made at notified MSP for the year 2020-21 directly from the registered farmers, if the market rate goes below MSP during the notified harvesting period in the respective States/UTs by the Central Nodal Agencies through State nominated procuring agencies.
Upto16.11.2020, the Government through its Nodal Agencies has procured 58867.79 MT of Moong, Urad, Groundnut Pods and Soyabean having MSP value of Rs.317.54 Crores benefitting 34361 farmers in Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Haryana and Rajasthan as against the last year corresponding purchase of 33976.48MT which is an increase of 73.26%for pulses and oilseeds.
Similarly, 5089 MT of copra  having MSP value of Rs.52.40 crore has been procured benefitting 3961 farmers in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu upto 16.11.2020 as against the last year corresponding purchase of 293.34 MT of copra. In respect of Copra and Urad, rates are ruling above MSP in most of the major producing States. The respective State/UTs Governments are making necessary arrangements for commencement of procurement from the date as decided by the respective States based on the arrivals in respect of Kharif Pulses and Oilseeds.
Procurement operations of seed cotton  under MSP are going on smoothly in the States of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat. Till 16.11.2020 a quantity of 1498183 cotton bales valuing Rs.4285.84 Crore has been procured benefitting 293900 farmers.
Ministry of Railways
Indian Railways to give full refund for all tickets booked on or prior to 14th April 2020 for regular time tabled trains
Ministry of Railways has decided that all train tickets booked on or prior to 14th April 2020 for the regular time-tabled trains should be cancelled and full refund generated as per provisions contained in the letters issued earlier.
Ministry of Commerce & Industry
Vizag-Chennai Industrial Corridor
Asian Development Bank  had prepared Conceptual Development Plan  for Vizag-Chennai Industrial Corridor  and four nodes namely  Visakhapatnam,  Machilipatnam,  Donakonda and  Chittoor were identified for development. Amongst these nodes, Visakhapatnam and Chittoor have been prioritized by the Government of Andhra Pradesh . Initial master planning of these two nodes were also completed by ADB. As per the proposal of GoAP, National Industrial Corridor Development and Implementation Trust  in its meeting held on 30th August, 2019 has accorded its approval for development of Vishakhapatnam and Chittoor as priority nodes in phase-1 of VCIC.
The loan has been agreed between State Government and Asian Development Bank . ADB has approved USD 631 million  for VCIC, comprising a Multi-Tranche Financing Facility  as follows:
- Two-tranche MFF of USD 500 million to build key infrastructure;
- Two-tranche Policy Based Loan  of USD 125 million to support policy reforms and institutional development in the State
- Grant of USD 5 million from the multi-donor Urban Climate Change Resilience Trust Fund  to build climate change resilient infrastructure in Visakhapatnam
- Technical assistance of USD 1 million to help the Andhra Pradesh local government implement policy reforms
Since the project is presently under development stage, time for commencement for construction of the project cannot be ascertained.
This information was given by the Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal, in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.
Special Service and Features
1588 grams of Gold worth Rs. 66.34 Lakhs seized by Chennai Air Customs
Based on intelligence a passenger who arrived to Chennai from Dubai by flight 6E-66 was intercepted by the Customs officers at the exit gate. On scanning and examination of his checked -in baggage, one iron hammer was suspected to have Gold concealment. The hammer was broke open and Gold moulded inside the iron hammer was recovered. A total of 341 grams of 24k purity Gold valued at Rs. 14.25. lakhs was recovered and seized under the Customs Act 1962.
In another incident 1247 grams of Gold concealed in mirror frame was recovered from a passenger who arrived to Chennai from Kuwait via flight J9-1427 on 27.09.2021. The Gold was concealed inside the Mirror frame which could be retrieved only after cut opening the mirror frame. A total of 1247 grams of 24k purity Gold valued at Rs. 52.09 lakhs was recovered and seized under the Customs Act 1962.The passenger was arrested.
Further investigation is in progress, according to a press release issued by the Pr.Commissioner of Customs, Chennai International Airport.
Ministry of Science & Technology
Cabinet approves Memorandum of Understanding  between the Department of Science and Technology, India and Ministry of Trade and Industry, Singapore on Cooperation in the fields of Science, Technology and Innovation
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi was apprised of a Memorandum of Understanding  signed between the Department of Science and Technology of the Republic of India and the Ministry of Trade and Industry of the Government of the Republic of Singapore on Cooperation in the fields of Science, Technology and Innovation. The MoU was signed in February 2022.
The MoU will provide a mechanism and help in creating and ecosystem that will promote innovation and entrepreneurship in both countries leading to new technology creation, manpower training, IP generation through collaboration.
The new knowledge and technology development through activities implemented under this cooperation will provide impetus to Atmanirbhar Bharat. The MoU will provide a mechanism and help in creating an ecosystem that will promote innovation and entrepreneurship in both countries leading to new technology creation, manpower training, IP generation through collaboration. The activities envisaged in the MoU will involve product development and technology exchange which may lead to generation of new enterprises and employment.
The objective of this Memorandum is to encourage, develop and facilitate cooperation between India and Singapore in fields of common interest in science, technology and innovation. Priority will be given to collaboration within any area of mutual interest that can advance progress in research, innovation and technological development including:
- Agriculture and food science and technology;
- Advanced manufacturing and engineering;
- Green economy, energy, water, climate and natural resources;
- Data science, Emerging Technologies;
- Advanced Materials; and
- Health and biotechnology.
Other areas of common interest will be included through mutual consent.
Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution
Procurement of wheat by government agencies reaches all-time high
FCI ready to meet any additional requirement of food grains for the people of the country in coming months
Total 382 LMT wheat and 119 LMT paddy procured for the Central pool
Rs. 73,500 crores paid to 42 lakh farmers towards Minimum Support Price for wheat
Procurement of wheat from farmers by Government agencies has touched an all-time record figure on 16.06.2020, when total procurement for the Central pool reached 382 Lakh Metric Tonnes  surpassing the earlier record of 381.48 LMT achieved during 2012-13. This has been accomplished during the trying times of Covid-19 pandemic when the whole country was under lockdown.
The commencement of procurement was delayed by a fortnight due to the first lockdown and was kicked off only from 15th April in most of the wheat surplus states as against the standard 1st April. Extraordinary efforts have been made by state governments and all government procuring agencies led by Food Corporation of India  to ensure that wheat is procured from farmers without any delay and in a safe manner. The number of purchase centers was increased from 14,838 to 21,869 this year by opening procurement centers in all possible locations, in addition to traditional mandis. This has helped to reduce farmers' footfall in mandis and ensured proper social distancing. Technological solutions were deployed to regulate the daily inflows into mandis through token systems. These measures, along with actions on the ground for regular sanitizing, earmarking of dumping areas for each farmer etc, ensured that none of the food grain procurement centers became Covid-19 hotspot anywhere in the country.
This year Madhya Pradesh became the largest contributor to Central pool with 129 LMT wheat, surpassing Punjab which procured 127 LMT. Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan also made significant contributions to the national procurement of wheat. All over India, 42 Lakh farmers have been benefitted and a total amount of about Rs. 73,500 crore has been paid to them towards Minimum Support Price for wheat. The hefty inflow of food grains into Central pool ensured that FCI is ready to meet any additional requirement of food grains for the people of the country in coming months.
During the same period, 119 Lakh MT paddy was also procured by the government agencies through 13,606 purchase centers. Maximum procurement was done by Telangana which contributed 64 LMT followed by Andhra Pradesh with 31 LMT. State wise procurement of wheat and paddy is as follows-
Wheat
|
|
Sl. No.
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|
Name of the State
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|
Quantity of wheat procured 
|
|
1
|
|
Madhya Pradesh
|
|
129
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|
2
|
|
Punjab
|
|
127
|
|
3
|
|
Haryana
|
|
74
|
|
4
|
|
Uttar Pradesh
|
|
32
|
|
5
|
|
Rajasthan
|
|
19
|
|
6
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|
Others
|
|
01
|
|
Total
|
|
382
Paddy
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|
Sl. No.
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Name of the State
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Quantity of Paddy procured 
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|
1
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|
Telangana
|
|
64
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|
2
|
|
Andhra Pradesh
|
|
31
|
|
3
|
|
Odisha
|
|
14
|
|
4
|
|
Tamil Nadu
|
|
04
|
|
5
|
|
Kerala
|
|
04
|
|
6
|
|
Others
|
|
02
|
|
TOTAL
|
|
119
Ministry of Defence
NCC Training to Girls
Opportunities to girl cadets are being provided in schools, colleges including universities wherever NCC training is being provided. The steps taken to improve the institutional training imparted to NCC Cadets are as follows:
- Review of institutional training syllabus was carried out in May-June, 2019 to make it more relevant and contemporary for NCC students.
- 385 additional Associate NCC Officers /Care Taker Officer  have been commissioned into NCC in 2018.
- Plan to sanction additional 637 Girls Cadet Instructors  over a period of 5 years is under implementation.
- Additional vacancies have been catered for in both the Officer Training Academies , i.e., OTA Kamptee and OTA Gwalior, to the tune of 575 vacancies and 130 vacancies respectively, to ensure better training output for ANOs .
- Orientation Training Course  of all the military posted Permanent Instructor  staff is ensured within first three months of the tenure by respective NCC State Directorates/Group Headquarters.
- At institute levels, following issues are being regularly ensured:
- Parades as per programme each week.
- Monitoring of ANOs performance.
- Warning to poor performing institutes.
- Utilisation of existing school classrooms for better media exchange.
- Strict conduct of Certificate exams by all State Directorates.
This information was given by Raksha Rajya Mantri Shri Shripad Naik in a written reply to Shri Sridhar Kotagiri and others in Lok Sabha today.
ABB/SS/Nampi/KA/DK/Savvy/ADA
(